The McCandless type is a character who wants to be on his/her own and experience a different everyday life.
Ron Franz is one example of the McCandless type. He is somewhat of a loner as Chris is. Franz tries to fill his loneliness by adopting many children, and Chris' loneliness was filled when he would meet a new person on his journey. However, they differ in that way as well because Chris didn't mind being alone, he was glad to be in the wild doing what made him happy not conforming to what his parents or others wanted from him. Another similarity is when Franz receives a letter from Alex tellin him to be different and change his lifestyle to see new experiences. Franz took his advice and put most of his possessions into a storage locker, and he set up camp at bajada. Alex/ Chris did exactly that with his own life; he went into the wild for new experiences and because it was something no one expected from him.
Gene Rosellini is another model of the McCandless type. Rosellini was a good athlete and brilliant student with a perfect grade point average. Throughout high school and college, Rosellini didn't accept any degrees, he thought the pursuit of knowledge was good enough without needing an verifications of it. He then decided he wanted to conduct an anthropological experiment living as our forebears had during the Stone Age, only living off what he could get from the land. This resembles Chris because Chris too wanted to live off the land, but he lived out of a backpack which shows one difference in how they sought to live. Another difference between them is how they died. Rosellini was found in his shack face down with a knife through his heart while Chris didn't kill himself, but wanted help from others during his last days that we saw in his very last note.
John Waterman resembles the McCandless type as well. He was born in the same Washington suburbs that gave shape to Chris McCandless. Waterman loved nature and to rock climb. As a teen, Waterman's parents got a divorce and his father completely cut himself out of his sons' lives. John and his older brother went to visit their father, but he refused to see them; it wounded John badly. Chris' father on the other hand smothered him which is why he longed to get away. Both Chris and Waterman kept journals about their journey and experiences. Waterman was unraveling mentally and spent two weeks in the Anchorage Psychiatric Institute, but left because he thought there was a conspiracy trying to put him away permanently. Additionally, he set out for a solo attempt on Denali at sea level with little gear or a suicide mission. That sets him and Chris apart since Chris never spent time in a psychiatric facility, and he never set out on a mission without gear.
Everett Ruess most exemplifies the McCandless type in this book. He left for the road after high school as Chris did after college. Ruess and Chris both lived out of a backpack during their journeys. In Ruess' letters he mentioned he'd always be a lone wanderer as Chris was because Chris never let anyone closer than an arm's length. The wilderness fascinated the both of them, and they never wanted to settle down in one place. Ruess additionally adopted another name that we see carved in the wall of the canyon he slept in. Chris carved his pseudonym on the Sushana bus. Another one of Ruess' letters reveals that no on understands why he wants to live the way he does which is exactly how people viewed Chris when they met him. The both weren't satisfied with their lives, but when they were moving around they each seemed please with their lives then. each Chris and Ruess enjoyed people, but couldn't stay with them for too long. Lastly, Ruess talks if dying in a lonely, desolate spot in the same way Chris had in Alaska.
Ron Franz is one example of the McCandless type. He is somewhat of a loner as Chris is. Franz tries to fill his loneliness by adopting many children, and Chris' loneliness was filled when he would meet a new person on his journey. However, they differ in that way as well because Chris didn't mind being alone, he was glad to be in the wild doing what made him happy not conforming to what his parents or others wanted from him. Another similarity is when Franz receives a letter from Alex tellin him to be different and change his lifestyle to see new experiences. Franz took his advice and put most of his possessions into a storage locker, and he set up camp at bajada. Alex/ Chris did exactly that with his own life; he went into the wild for new experiences and because it was something no one expected from him.
Gene Rosellini is another model of the McCandless type. Rosellini was a good athlete and brilliant student with a perfect grade point average. Throughout high school and college, Rosellini didn't accept any degrees, he thought the pursuit of knowledge was good enough without needing an verifications of it. He then decided he wanted to conduct an anthropological experiment living as our forebears had during the Stone Age, only living off what he could get from the land. This resembles Chris because Chris too wanted to live off the land, but he lived out of a backpack which shows one difference in how they sought to live. Another difference between them is how they died. Rosellini was found in his shack face down with a knife through his heart while Chris didn't kill himself, but wanted help from others during his last days that we saw in his very last note.
John Waterman resembles the McCandless type as well. He was born in the same Washington suburbs that gave shape to Chris McCandless. Waterman loved nature and to rock climb. As a teen, Waterman's parents got a divorce and his father completely cut himself out of his sons' lives. John and his older brother went to visit their father, but he refused to see them; it wounded John badly. Chris' father on the other hand smothered him which is why he longed to get away. Both Chris and Waterman kept journals about their journey and experiences. Waterman was unraveling mentally and spent two weeks in the Anchorage Psychiatric Institute, but left because he thought there was a conspiracy trying to put him away permanently. Additionally, he set out for a solo attempt on Denali at sea level with little gear or a suicide mission. That sets him and Chris apart since Chris never spent time in a psychiatric facility, and he never set out on a mission without gear.
Everett Ruess most exemplifies the McCandless type in this book. He left for the road after high school as Chris did after college. Ruess and Chris both lived out of a backpack during their journeys. In Ruess' letters he mentioned he'd always be a lone wanderer as Chris was because Chris never let anyone closer than an arm's length. The wilderness fascinated the both of them, and they never wanted to settle down in one place. Ruess additionally adopted another name that we see carved in the wall of the canyon he slept in. Chris carved his pseudonym on the Sushana bus. Another one of Ruess' letters reveals that no on understands why he wants to live the way he does which is exactly how people viewed Chris when they met him. The both weren't satisfied with their lives, but when they were moving around they each seemed please with their lives then. each Chris and Ruess enjoyed people, but couldn't stay with them for too long. Lastly, Ruess talks if dying in a lonely, desolate spot in the same way Chris had in Alaska.